Today I try a Russian beer. It comes in a 500mL brown bottle, with 4.8% alcohol/vol. The label on the back is a bit funny. The last sentence says "This beer is brewed specially for you." It's good to know that the brewers are telepaths.
The label on the back says it has a hoppy aroma, and it's right. When I hopened the bottle, I was presented by a wonderful hoppy smell. I was a bit disappointed by the light colour when poured, but it formed a thick head that lasted a bit. Lots of large bubbles.
The first taste was sweet. Very sweet. Again, the label says it is a malty taste, and it is correct. I didn't notice it on the first sip, but it definitely has a strong hoppy aftertaste. While it was fairly good, it didn't overly *wow* me. If I was in Russia, I would buy this.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Grolsch
The beer comes from the Netherlands. I've seen it before, and I think its bottle is semi-famous. It comes in a 450mL green beugel-style bottle with 5% alcohol/vol. Very retro.
It opened with a loud "pop", and released an aroma of hops into the room. A really neat effect. Upon pouring, it formed a long-lasting thick head. Lots of small buggles floated up from the glass. It also has a beautiful dark golden colour.
The first sip was phenomenal. I truly can't say enough about this beer. It has a full flavour that is hard to describe. Malty and hoppy at the same time. Almost no aftertaste. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. The only thing bad about it is that it goes down so easy, you're done before you know it. I'm placing it near the top of my list.
It opened with a loud "pop", and released an aroma of hops into the room. A really neat effect. Upon pouring, it formed a long-lasting thick head. Lots of small buggles floated up from the glass. It also has a beautiful dark golden colour.
The first sip was phenomenal. I truly can't say enough about this beer. It has a full flavour that is hard to describe. Malty and hoppy at the same time. Almost no aftertaste. I thoroughly enjoyed this beer. The only thing bad about it is that it goes down so easy, you're done before you know it. I'm placing it near the top of my list.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tsingtao
Today's beer brings me even further away from home. This time it's China. Tsingtao comes in a 330mL green bottle, with 4.5% alcohol/vol. There is absolutely no other information on the label.
It made a thick head when poured, and had a strong hoppy smell. Its straw colour makes me think it is a light beer.
The first sip: Flavourless. The next sip: Flavourless. I feel like I'm drinking dirty carbonated water. The only good thing I can say about this beer is that it goes down easy. About as easy as water.
I can sum the experience up in three words: Made In China.
It made a thick head when poured, and had a strong hoppy smell. Its straw colour makes me think it is a light beer.
The first sip: Flavourless. The next sip: Flavourless. I feel like I'm drinking dirty carbonated water. The only good thing I can say about this beer is that it goes down easy. About as easy as water.
I can sum the experience up in three words: Made In China.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Kingfisher Premium
Before anybody accuses me of being euro-centric, I decided to leave the continent and head to India. Today's beer is Kingfisher Premium. It advertises as a premium lager. It comes in a green 330mL bottle with 4.0% alcohol/vol. Despite being an Indian beer, the small print on the back says it was brewed in the U.K. (under license). So I'm not 100% certain I'm getting the true Kingfisher experience.
Upon opening, I noticed a strong fruity aroma. Almost floral. When poured, it comes out pale yellow with a thick head that took a while to disappear. Lots of bubbles.
My first sip was "feh". The beer is very light and dry. Not terribly malty, not terribly hoppy. The carbonation left an impression in my mouth, and left a strong (but not entirely unpleasant) aftertaste. The only characteristic worth mentioning in this beer is the interesting aroma.
If I was in India, I'd gladly drink this as it is readily available there. But seeing as I have many other beers at my disposal, I'll place it further down the list but not off it entirely.
Upon opening, I noticed a strong fruity aroma. Almost floral. When poured, it comes out pale yellow with a thick head that took a while to disappear. Lots of bubbles.
My first sip was "feh". The beer is very light and dry. Not terribly malty, not terribly hoppy. The carbonation left an impression in my mouth, and left a strong (but not entirely unpleasant) aftertaste. The only characteristic worth mentioning in this beer is the interesting aroma.
If I was in India, I'd gladly drink this as it is readily available there. But seeing as I have many other beers at my disposal, I'll place it further down the list but not off it entirely.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Gösser
Gösser beer comes from Austria in a 500mL can with 5.2% alcohol/vol. It has an ingredients list that shows (unsurprisingly) water, barley-malt, and hops. It also has a best before date, which I believe is a handy feature. On my particular can it was October 2011, which is well in the future. There should be no danger of skunkiness.
When I opened the can, I instantly noticed a sweet smell. But after pouring the beer into a glass, it almost instantly disappeared. A thick head formed upon pouring, and lasted a while. The beer has a yellow-ish colour and almost no bubbles. The few bubbles that did come up were rather small.
The first taste was pretty good. Apart from a metallic aftertaste (I need to stop buying beers from cans) it went down very smooth. In a way, almost too smooth. Very close to water. Practically no hops in the taste at all. It has a slight apple taste to it.
I do not think I will buy this beer again. While the entire experience wasn't unpleasant, it failed to wow me.
When I opened the can, I instantly noticed a sweet smell. But after pouring the beer into a glass, it almost instantly disappeared. A thick head formed upon pouring, and lasted a while. The beer has a yellow-ish colour and almost no bubbles. The few bubbles that did come up were rather small.
The first taste was pretty good. Apart from a metallic aftertaste (I need to stop buying beers from cans) it went down very smooth. In a way, almost too smooth. Very close to water. Practically no hops in the taste at all. It has a slight apple taste to it.
I do not think I will buy this beer again. While the entire experience wasn't unpleasant, it failed to wow me.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Czechvar Original
This is a Czech lager that comes in a 500mL green bottle. The foil wrapped cap is a nice visual touch and gives it an air of elegance. With 5% alcohol/vol, it's a bit on the light side but definitely wouldn't fall into the "light" beer category.
When poured, the first thing I noticed was the massive quantities of bubbles. A thick head formed that dispersed rapidly. The lager was a deep gold colour. I also noticed a strong smell coming from it (hops?).
The first sip was very good. The flavour came on slowly. Not malty, with a strong hoppy taste. It reminded me of Pilsner Urquell, but I enjoyed Czechvar much more. So far, this has been my favourite lager. Each sip made me appreciate it more than the last.
I'm adding this beer to my list of winners.
When poured, the first thing I noticed was the massive quantities of bubbles. A thick head formed that dispersed rapidly. The lager was a deep gold colour. I also noticed a strong smell coming from it (hops?).
The first sip was very good. The flavour came on slowly. Not malty, with a strong hoppy taste. It reminded me of Pilsner Urquell, but I enjoyed Czechvar much more. So far, this has been my favourite lager. Each sip made me appreciate it more than the last.
I'm adding this beer to my list of winners.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Löwenbräu Original
This is another german beer. It comes in a 500mL can, with 5.2%alcohol/vol. It has very little english on the can, but it does have an ingredient list: Water, malted barley, hops, hop extract. No earth-shattering revelations there. But at least I know that it's not a wheat beer.
When poured, it foamed up with a healthy head, that disappeared fairly quickly. The colour is fairly pale, with large bubbles.
The first taste was smooth. Very smooth. A malty flavour, with absolutely no aftertaste whatsoever. On second thought, there was almost no *taste* whatsoever either. If I was to take a guess, I'd say this was a light lager. This made the beer go down very fast. I'd drink this one again, but I'm not in a huge rush for it. I have a feeling it's the Labatt Lite of Germany.
When poured, it foamed up with a healthy head, that disappeared fairly quickly. The colour is fairly pale, with large bubbles.
The first taste was smooth. Very smooth. A malty flavour, with absolutely no aftertaste whatsoever. On second thought, there was almost no *taste* whatsoever either. If I was to take a guess, I'd say this was a light lager. This made the beer go down very fast. I'd drink this one again, but I'm not in a huge rush for it. I have a feeling it's the Labatt Lite of Germany.
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